The Spirituality of Interdependence: Fostering Peace by Being Franciscan
Presenter: Darleen Pryds, Ph.D.
September 17-20, 2025
Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, Minnesota
Wednesday: 6-7:30pm; Thursday-Friday: 9am-4pm; Saturday: 9am-1pm
In our polarized world, how we express our values has often led to broken or frayed relationships. Through cultivating a capacity for presence, deep listening, prayer, and effective speaking, this retreat helps you develop and practice personal skills, grounded in faith, that can serve in rebuilding relationships that matter. You'll meet compelling figures within the Franciscan tradition who forged a spiritual path and deepened their faith through peacemaking. These lay and vowed religious will serve as our guides during this valuable time we'll have together.
Darleen Pryds, Ph.D. is a professor of Spirituality and History at the Franciscan School of Theology and has studied and practiced spirituality within the Franciscan tradition since 1980. Her books and articles pay special attention to lay people in the Franciscan tradition. She also leads pilgrimages with the Franciscan Pilgrimage Program and volunteers in hospice.
Investment:
$50 in person (includes lunch)
$290 overnight for retreat (includes room and meals)
$30 Zoom
Register by September 12.
Email FLCEvents@fslf.org or call (320)632-0680 for more information.
Soul Searching
A SoulCollage® Day of Reflection
Saturday, September 20, 2025 • 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
In-person at the Franciscan Welcoming House, 1600 11th Ave S, St. Cloud
This day of reflection will use a contemplative artistic process using magazines, glue and scissors to make collages; using art to listen to all parts in us—our soul, our inner child, our tired self, our anxious self, our deeply grateful part, etc. No previous art experience is necessary. Just a desire to quiet one's self and listen and create with art. Maybe you’ll become unglued!
Listening awakens our awareness. And given our current times, this capacity is essential if we are to navigate the great divides that separate us from our inner life and others. As we learn to listen inwardly, we begin to understand and care for the fears and vulnerabilities that ask for our attention.
During this day you will learn how to make a SoulCollage® card (5” x 7” chip board) and read it. You will have quiet time to make your own cards and community space to share your cards. You will most likely leave with three to six cards.
Our facilitator, Barbara Sutton, is a trained SoulCollage® facilitator and lives in Sauk Rapids. She offers retreats, spiritual direction and life coaching using art-based and creative process.
Register by September 17.
Cost: $49, includes all supplies
Questions, contact FLCEvents@fslf.org
Join us for the return of our monthly Taizé Prayer service on Tuesday, September 23, at 5:30 p.m. in our chapel's Gathering Space on the campus of the Franciscan Sisters. Enter at the Main Entrance, Door F. All are welcome!
Taizé is a simple meditative practice that includes readings, long periods of silence and brief repetitive songs. It calms the world's noise and centers you in a space of peace; a perfect way to end a busy day. No experience with meditation needed, nor a singing voice! All are welcome. The service lasts about 45 minutes, and no RSVP needed.
For questions, please contact FLCEvents@fslf.org or (320)632-0680.
This course is full please contact FLCEvents@fslf.org to be added to a waiting list and learn about other offerings.
Engaging Franciscan Spirituality
transforming, uplifting, and equipping you for life's journey
Are you seeking a more embodied and meaningful life? Engaging Franciscan Spirituality is a program led by experienced teachers, rooted in a Franciscan way of being in the world. It is designed to deepen spirituality, build community and explore a path of following in the footprints of Francis and Clare and the many others who followed. Topics include contemplative prayer practices, peacemaking and social justice, the Franciscan view of Trinity and Incarnation, and more.
Sessions are held on the second Saturday of each month for 18 months, in-person at the Franciscan Welcoming House, 1600 S 11th Avenue in St. Cloud, MN.
First session is January 11, 2025, from 9 a.m. to noon; all other sessions are 9 - 11:30 a.m.
Cost: $349; scholarships are available
For questions and registration, contact FLCEvents@fslf.org, 320.632.0680
Real Conversations
Staying Present and Engaged in Difficult Circumstances
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls Campus
In-person or Zoom • 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. CT
Have you ever fallen silent in a difficult conversation, not knowing what to say? Are there times you don’t feel heard or understood? Do you resist relationships with people you don’t agree with? This series develops your ability to deeply listen within, speak your truth without blame or judgment, and engage more fully with the ideas and thoughts of others. All with compassion for yourself and others. It's an eight-week deep dive of noticing and reflecting on your thought patterns, understanding your intention for a relationship, and grounding in your values. You’ll come away with increased confidence to speak truthfully and lovingly, letting go of fixing. You’ll be equipped to seek connection instead of division.
Click the link to register by September 5.
Investment: $79, scholarships available.
For more information, contact FLCEvents@fslf.org or call 320.632.0680.
